SportsNet - May 2012

Junior Seau death is tragic not only to the ones who loved him, but more so to the ones who would have loved to be him. In a culture built on bigger, stronger and faster is it any surprise to see modern day gladiators lives coming to an end in the same violent manner they were paid to defend?

Now, many people will say gladiators of our time are not slaves, and are paid kings' ransom to not only entertain, but live life like a hero who is celebrated for being vain. In an age where Kings are mere symbols replaced by the power of the ultimately dollar, why are we so shocked that a man who gave his life for a ransom that was fit for a king, decided to put it to an end when he could no longer stand to defend?

As most of you likely know by now, Sarah Phillips, a former columnist for Covers (a popular sports betting site) and ESPN's Page 2 (now ESPN Playbook), was exposed by Deadspin Tuesday evening for the alleged fraud and scamming of a 19-year-old web entrepreneur and another 30-year-old investment hopeful. She was quickly let go by ESPN.

Phillips responded with her own series of tweets, mainly defending herself and denying that she knew about any of the swindling, even though further evidence of chats and conversations prove she was very much aware (or at least letting someone use her alias as a means of doing the swindling).

(To check out the whole story, and everything that goes along with it, be sure to check Deadspin.)

Anyway, my question, after being fully engulfed by the saga myself, is why do we care? The people who need to care most are ESPN, Covers, Phillips, her supposed business partner Nilesh Prasad, and those who got conned or nearly conned.

Chelsea were able to call on Branislav Ivanovic for this game to partner with John Terry. This would ensure stability at the back. Ashley Cole was rested for Ryan Bertrand to come in and Jose Bosingwa at right full back completed the back four. The squad had to be rotated, keeping in mind the FA Cup Final, although Roberto Di Matteo suggested prior to the match that he would not do so. but the surprise inclusion of Florent Malouda, playing behind Torres, belied any claims by RDM.

As for Newcastle, James Perch replaced Danny Simpson at right full back. Manager Alan Pardew seemed to have reverted to his 4-4-2 combination that has served him well this season. Both Ba and Cisse are quick and mercurial forwards. The context to this contest was scintillating. A win for either side meant that their path to a top four finish became a trifle easier. Lose the game and play catch up.

It's a fact that this April was the first losing April for the Philadelphia Phillies in a long time.

Yes, they currently sit at 12-12, and aren't the most talked about team in the City of Brotherly Love, with the Flyers and Sixers taking the limelight for their current playoff runs.

Yes, the Nationals, Mets, and Braves are all off to decent starts to their seasons.

Yes, the Phillies are one of the oldest ball clubs in the game and are only getting older.

And finally, yes, they have superstars on the disabled list.

Some would see all this, and would start jumping off the Phillies bandwagon. But everyone should probably hold off on jumping ship. If we've learned anything over the course of Charlie Manuel's tenure as Phillies manager, it's that these players are a resilient bunch and will be giving their all the entire season.